Apple iWatch Prototype Runs iOS, But Has Battery Life Issues in Testing

Apple is reportedly working to launch its iWatch smart watch later this year, but the team of more than 100 Apple employees is running into some issues that are limiting the watch’s battery life.

The Verge said it has learned that Apple has tasked the iWatch division with building a complete version of iOS onto the iWatch, instead of a watered-down operating system that isn’t as powerful. The goal is to get the watch to last up to five days on a single charge so that users aren’t constantly having to plug it in, but that’s proving to be a difficult task.

The Verge said Apple’s team can only get the watch to last for “a couple days max” right now. We imagine that’s likely due to the higher-powered operating system and all of the sensors that are allegedly built-in. While Bluetooth itself isn’t exactly a battery drain, constant notifications from a phone and other sensors, such as an embedded GPS chip, can be straining on a device’s battery.